Texting.  The mobile phone innovation that many of us have grown to love is not just an easy way to connect with friends, it’s also a hidden pocket for business growth.

In the last half of 2009, 822 billion texts were sent and received according to the CTIA.  822 billion!  That works out to be just shy of 5 billon per day and it’s only trending to grow larger by the end of 2010.  People text each other about all types of things, from the casual “hello” to canceling of a night out.  I’ve coordinated multiple get togethers via text only - a method that was foreign a few years ago but is becoming the norm for many people.  For example, most of my friends would prefer to be texted and not left a voice mail. I’ll admit that is my preference as well even though Google Voice already converts their voice mail to text.  Texting is convenient and less intrusive than a phone call, and allows me to do multiple things at once. These examples show us that mobile phone users are becoming very comfortable receiving information on their phones.

With this rising trend many people have added unlimited texting plans to accommodate for their use.   The opportunity for businesses is the ability to allow customers to opt in to receive periodic updates that are relevant to them.  Think of it as a mobile billboard each customer carries, once subscribed they’ll receive your texts wherever they are, whenever you send them.  Sign up is simple. You’ve probably seen businesses before with signs or emails like the example below to sign up with Pilot (client) to receive updates about Arby’s specials (try it out).  If you’ve signed up, you’ll start to receive texts occasionally like the one below, “free apple turnover with text.”

You can share time sensitive specials, like the texts I receive from Houlihan’s Foody Call Club, “Happy 4th of July! Show this text on 7-3 or 7-4 for $10 off $30.”  Another option is like a text from Chick-fil-a; “Cow Appreciation Day July 9th Come dressed in full Cow Costume and get a FREE meal. ok2fwd”; they are promoting today’s unique event. However, they don’t have to be specials. I subscribe to Knoxnews text alerts from our client the Knoxville News Sentinel and receive updates on road conditions, weather and breaking news stories.In all the cases the marketing message is time sensitive and relevant to me.

Mobile usage for texting and smart phone use will continue to grow and it will change how we interact with customers. This change creates another channel and opportunity to connect with your customers and a method to grow your business.  Let’s get started today.